Rose-Colored Headphones

In 1972, legendary Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso marked his return from exile by recording a baffling commercial failure that confounds listeners to this day. The story surrounding this album's creation is as captivating, and the album itself deserves a reappraisal.    Kaleb E. Goldschmitt is here to guide us through Veloso's fraught relationship with both Brazil's authoritarian government aud...

Longtime listeners know that we're friends with the ghost of an anthropomorphic snare drum, and he's here to help us parse a couple of compilations that just might help us crack the Weezer code. 

Everything about Phish is baffling to Ralph and Michael. Luckily Mike Ayers, author of an excellent oral history of the jam band scene, is here to help us crack the code. Listen in as we discover the quintessential jam band, and Ralph performs his reinterpretation of one of their most beloved songs. See what Mike Ayers is up to here:  https://mike-ayers.com   Find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/p...

Our journey into the dark heart of Weezerdom continues, but Aaron Carnes is here to offer moral support.    Find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rchpodcast.bsky.social   Or send us an email: rosecoloredheadphonespodcast@gmail.com   Our visual art was created by Elaine Banks (@elaineprints on IG).

Comedian and Pogues enthusiast Keith Lowell Jensen is here to guide us through the last Pogues record to feature Shane MacGowan. Later, Ralph performs a song from this album. Whether you're a Pogues fan or just Pogues-curious, you won't want to miss this episode!    See what Keith is up to here: https://keithlowelljensen.com   Find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rchpodcast.bsky.social   O...

Are we still doing this? Yes. Have you seen how many Weezer albums there are? We're in it now. No backing out.    Anyway... Find out which Weezer song is Michael's favorite as we continue to tangle with the enigma of Rivers of Weezer.    Find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rchpodcast.bsky.social   Or send us an email: rosecoloredheadphonespodcast@gmail.com   Our visual art was created by...

Who or what is Chris Gaines, exactly, and to what extent is Garth Brooks involved? We are just as confused as you are.  Luckily, Stephen Deusner, author of the definitive book on Chris Gaines, has been forced to join us as we try to make sense of whatever this is.  Also on this episode: Ralph performs Chris Gaines' most notorious song like you've never heard it before.    Keep up with Stephen here...

It's time for the "Green Album" and Maladroit ! Find out what Ralph did on prom night and who Michael's favorite SNL cast member of all time is. One of those things is related to Weezer and the other is not.    Find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rchpodcast.bsky.social   Or send us an email: rosecoloredheadphonespodcast@gmail.com   Our visual art was created by Elaine Banks (@elaineprints...

David Bowie's soundtrack to a movie you probably haven't seen is an unusually sentimental affair. Sure, it didn't make the same splash as Ziggy Stardust or Low , but it is every bit as adventurous.    Here to help us unpack it is Chris O'Leary, the author of two books that trace Bowie's trajectory song by song. Chris fills us in on the story of this album's inspiration and creation and we find a l...

On the first installment of this series of mini-episodes, Ralph and Michael try to get to the bottom of one of rock music's most confounding questions: What is the deal with Weezer?  We're going chronologically through their entire discography, which makes this one kind of an easy one. It's the "Blue Album" and Pinkerton!    Find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rchpodcast.bsky.social   Or...

We're back! And our fourth season is catching a wave with the Beach Men as Brian Wilson returns to the fold for this cult-favorite album. Friend of the show Aaron Carnes is here to help us unpack some uncomfortable reactions to these songs and consider the concept of "outsider art."  Later, Ralph channels the Beach Boys to perform Brian Wilson's favorite song. Incidentally, listener, how have you...

On our second annual Holiday Cheerstravaganza, we make a case for Bob Dylan's utterly delightful (if slightly unhinged) Christmas party record. Also, we look back at whatever 2025 was supposed to be, look ahead to 2026, and take calls from some of our wonderful listeners. We also talk to Derek, unfortunately. Thank you for joining us for our third season. We'll be back in 2026 with our fourth seas...

Remember this? For listeners of a certain age, this CD was the soundtrack to pep rallies and gym class and probably a whole litany of adolescent humiliations.  But we're here to convince you to listen to it with an open mind to hear what you missed.  Also in this episode, Ralph and Michael play basketball.  Plus, we present our very own original Jock Jam.  Don't forget to subscribe to hear new epi...

Just imagine having to replace both Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel. That's exactly what Ray Wilson had to do when he got the lead vocalist gig in Genesis. And you know what? He nailed it.  In this episode, Michael and Ralph make a case that Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks gave up on this incarnation of Genesis too soon. But it's not too late!  Later, Ralph transforms "Alien Afternoon" into a "class...

MF DOOM biographer S.H. Fernando is here to talk about that one DOOM project that you can't find on CD and people say isn't very good anyway. Truth is, it's fantastic. Listen in as we unpack the work ethic, pop-culture obsessions, and esoteric interests of hip-hop's greatest enigma, and dive into the DOOM project most deserving of a re-evaluation.  Later, Ralph and Michael pay tribute to the "Dope...

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Remember that broadway musical about Spider-Man with songs by Bono and The Edge? If not, hear us out: There was a broadway musical about Spider-Man with songs by Bono and The Edge. Keep an open mind; we're in this together now.  Ralph and Michael have very different opinions about superheroes and very different opinions about musical theater, but they're doing their best to find some good in the s...

If you're the sort of person who scoffs at the ever-shifting boogyman of "today's Country music," sit down and listen. Clover-Lynn is here to guide Michael and Ralph through two very different examples of contemporary pop-country: Lainey Wilson's Hillbilly Hippie and HARDY's The Mockingbird and the Crow.  Why are people so opposed to pop-country? Is it a matter of classism? Is "Americana" just gen...

Aaron Carnes is back! For a non-ska episode! What's the deal with this album? Why is it the one Daft Punk album that people don't adore?  Is this album fun? Is it dark? What was Daft Punk trying to tell us, and were we just not ready to hear it?  Later, Ralph performs "Steam Machine" in the style of Incubus. (It'll make sense once you hear it.)  Check out Aaron's book In Defense of Ska and his pod...

Miles Davis made a hip-hop record. This should be an easy episode to do, right? I mean, we like Miles Davis. We like hip-hop. But… we also read Miles Davis' autobiography. This wasn't the episode we set out to make, but here we are.    We've got some stuff to tangle with. And it's been brewing for some time. Our experience with music is shaped by our ideas about the people who make that music. You...

Megadeth sure did a thing here. And Megadeth fans sure didn't like it. But why not? Calibrate your expectations and let us help you find a way to enjoy this thing!  Also in this episode: Ralph and Michael attempt to banter like normal podcasters. And they talk about that movie Highlander, for some reason. But it's more on-topic than you would think.  Is Risk the perfect album for a day by the pool...

Ann Powers is here to share her insight into the creative life of Joni Mitchell in the 1980s. We delve into the influence of new musical technology, a shifting musical landscape, and Joni's romantic and creative partner Larry Klein.  Don't you think it's time you checked out some of those Joni Mitchell albums you haven't heard yet? Start here. Also, check out Ann's wonderful book Travelling: On Th...

Ralph and Michael have been assigned a Disney tribute album featuring Sun Ra, Tom Waits, Garth Hudson, one of The Beatles, Sinead O'Connor, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Stipe, Herb Alpert, The Replacements, and more.  Hear us out. It's... eerie. Later, a response from a Disney Adult and the return of Saucy Walter.  Thanks for listening to our second season. We liked making it, and we'll be back soon with...

In the eighties, Nina Simone recorded one of her most eclectic and personal albums. It's also one of her best, and Ralph and Michael are here to tell you all about it, doing our best to understand her as a musician, as a person, and as a political figure. (Michael says this is his favorite album we've covered on this show so far. What do you think, listener?)  Later, Ralph performs a Nina Simone o...

This is another one of those episodes where Michael struggles to get into the album, and Ralph has to take the wheel. What is it about the Red Hot Chili Peppers that Michael doesn't get? Seriously, what crawled up that guy's butt? First Lil' Wayne and now this. It's like he hates fun or something, that Scrooge. Don't worry, listener; empathy and open-mindedness will win in the end. (In this episod...